Idioms and Clichés/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, is examining framed pictures on a wall. He comes upon a robot, Moby, who is holding a large bag. Something inside the bag is moving. TIM: Hey, Moby. Uh, what's in the bag? MOBY: Beep. Moby opens the bag. A black cat with fangs jumps out and runs away. CAT: Meow. TIM: Yikes. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What are idioms? Sincerely, Erik. An idiom is an expression whose meaning is completely different from what its words seem to say. Instead, it has a figurative meaning, an additional layer of understanding known only to those who are already familiar with the idiom. For example, "to let the cat out of the bag" is an idiom that really means "to reveal a piece of information, often a secret." If you didn't know that figurative meaning, the words by themselves wouldn't make much sense at all. An image shows Moby letting his black cat out of its bag. A second image shows Moby whispering a secret into Tim's ear. Text reads: To let the cat out of the bag equals to reveal a secret. TIM: After all, who actually keeps cats in bags, and what do either have to do with secrets? The black cat is on the floor next to Tim and Moby. Moby tries to pick it up and put it back in the bag, but it meows and runs off. TIM: All idioms share three common features. First, the intended meaning is totally unrelated to the literal meaning of the phrase. The images of Moby whispering a secret and Moby letting the cat out of the bag reappear. Text reads: "To reveal a secret" is not equal to "to let the cat out of the bag." TIM: And you can't just substitute a word in the expression with a similar word. Like, you couldn't say, "let the dog out of the bag," and have it mean the same thing. Moby walks up to Tim. He is holding his large bag, and something inside of it is squirming. Moby smiles. TIM: Finally, you can't modify an idiom's words with adjectives and other words. Text reads: Let the cat out of the bag. TIM: You might get some funny looks if you say" let the yellow cat out of the large bag," to mean "tell a secret." MOBY: Beep. Text changes to read: Let the yellow cat out of the large bag. TIM: Well, a lot of idioms have really cool origins. Take "shake a leg," which is another way to say, "hurry up." An image shows Tim shaking one of his legs in the air. A second image shows Tim rushing to leave his house. Text reads: Shake a leg! equals hurry up! TIM: Some people think it's related to the expression "show a leg," used by officers in the eighteenth century British Royal Navy to order sailors out of bed. An animation shows a ship with a British flag sailing on an ocean. TIM: Each sailor had to stick his leg out of his bunk to prove that he was awake. MOBY: Beep. An animation shows three sailors sticking their legs out of their hammocks as Tim describes. A commanding officer stands and watches them. TIM: Yeah, just about every idiom is specific to a certain culture or language. You probably know what "shake a leg" means if you speak English, and definitely if you're an eighteenth-century British sailor. But outsiders can get pretty confused. Most idioms lose their meaning when translated into other languages. An animation shows a British sea captain ordering two sailors to shake a leg. One sailor hurries off. The other sailor, a French one, stands there, trying to understand what he has been ordered to do. His thought bubble reads "Secoue la jambe?" TIM: Still, idioms are a useful tool because they help make writing more colorful. Tim opens a book called Way of the Frog. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, you tell me. Which is more interesting to read? "Worthington had a big problem," or, "Worthington had a monkey on his back?" Images show book pages containing the two sentences Tim describes. MOBY: Beep, beep, beep. TIM: Um, yeah. I guess monkeys do make everything more interesting. An animation shows several monkeys jumping around and screeching in the treetops. TIM: Anyway, there are literally thousands of idioms out there. Several idioms appear. Text reads: "Kick the bucket," "Fit as a fiddle," "A chip on your shoulder," "Diamond in the rough," "Eat your heart out," "Beat around the bush," "Piece of cake," "All your eggs in one basket," "Achilles heel," "Walk the line," "Jump the shark." TIM: William Shakespeare himself coined more than 2,000 English idioms that we still use today. An animation shows William Shakespeare at his desk. He is writing with a quill pen. Text in thought balloons reads: "The game is up," "Into thin air," and "In a pickle." MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, a cliché is an idea or expression that's been overused to the point where it's boring and corny. "Home sweet home" and "have a nice day" are two clichés you've probably seen and heard a lot. Obviously, you want to avoid using clichés in anything you write. An image shows a welcome mat. Text on the welcome mat reads: Home Sweet Home. Another image shows a smiley face. Text beneath the smiley face reads: Have a nice day. TIM: Problem is, it's not always easy to tell the difference between a cliché and an idiom, because they're both well-used expressions. And actually, idioms can become clichés if they get overused. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, you know how back in the 1990s everyone started saying, "Show me the money"? An animation shows a man at a checkout counter. The clerk is telling the man to show her the money. TIM: It was used in a famous movie, and it became an idiom meaning, basically, "give me what I really want." An image shows a movie scene in which a man is talking into a phone. He is saying, "Show me the money!" TIM: Within a couple years, it was completely played out. You'd see it on bumper stickers, in ads, in other movies, on TV. You couldn't get away from it. So now it's a cliché. An image shows a tombstone. Text on the tombstone reads: R.I.P. Show me the money! MOBY: Beep. Moby places a flower on the grave in front of the tombstone. TIM: Well, the term cliché can apply to more than just words. Objects, situations, even personality traits can become clichés, as long as they keep popping up. CAT: Meow. The black cat with fangs is sitting on the floor between Tim and Moby. Moby tries to get the cat to jump into a bucket. It growls, hisses, and runs off. TIM: Uh, Moby. That bucket's only for kicking. Category:BrainPOP English Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Transcripts